Yay for my favorite holiday! It’s the 4th of July and I’m seriously craving ice cream. Not in an “oh let’s celebrate this holiday and have a little bit of ice cream” either. Craving it like I think about and want demand ice cream every day and sometimes 2 or [gasp] 3 times. Hey, I’m practically 10 months pregnant and it’s summer and I’m hot and I like sweet things an awful lot nowadays. Give me a break.

Last summer M and I were spending July on our honeymoon in Hawaii and along the Hana Highway in Maui we discovered a little shack operated by this guy named Coconut Glen who makes the most phenom ice cream I’ve ever tasted in my life. OK, so maybe technically it’s not “ice cream” since there is no dairy in it but I’m calling it that anyhow.

With my newfound ice cream obsession, I’ve been trying all kinds of delicious frosty creamy treats but one of my favorites is still coconut ice cream. Coconut ice cream is vegan but you don’t need to be vegan to eat it. It’s rich, decadent and I seriously can’t get enough. So, when OXO offered to send me a set of fabulous tools to use for creating an ice cream recipe for July, I was like “HELLA YES!”

Included in the package was a stainless steel ice cream scoop, mini chopper, rubber spatula, lock tight container, beaker measuring cups, sugar dispenser and angled measuring cup. I love OXO products. They are sturdy, ergonomic and last what seems like forever (I still have my can opener from 20 years ago). For this recipe I used the scoop, spatula, storage container and angled measuring cup.

I knew right away I wanted to make a coconut ice cream and I’m so happy I did. Although coconut milk is high in fat, it is also rich with fiber and vitamins and lactose free! Most recipes call for all full fat coconut milk in order to keep the creamy texture but I found that using half light coconut milk cut back significantly on the calories without losing the creaminess. The ice cream base is only 3 ingredients and although waiting for it to be done is like waiting for Santa Claus to come on Christmas Eve, it’s actually quite quick and simple to pull together. Add quick swirls of pureed raspberries and blackberries at the end and you have a festive and ah-mazingly delicious cold and creamy dessert perfect for your 4th of July holiday!

*OXO provided me with the tools pictured above to assist me in creating an ice cream recipe. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Vegan Coconut Berry Swirl Ice Cream

www.barbaracooks.com

Servings: 6 • Size: 2 medium scoops • Weight Watcher Points+: 7

Calories: 259 • Fat: 15g • Carbs: 31g • Fiber: 2g • Protein: 1g

Sugars: 24g • Sodium: 38mg • Cholesterol: 0mg

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can full fat coconut milk

1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons corn starch

¼ cup fresh raspberries

¼ cup fresh blackberries

Directions:

Empty the 2 cans of coconut milk into a medium saucepan, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid. Add the sugar and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Stir together the corn starch and reserved coconut milk to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the saucepan and reduce heat to medium. Continue simmering, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3-5 minutes.

Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 4 hours.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Meanwhile, purée the raspberries and blackberries separately (I used a small blender). Transfer the frozen ice cream to a container and swirl the raspberries and blackberries gently into the ice cream with a spatula or knife. Cover tightly and freeze at least 2 hours to firm up before scooping into dishes.

Gorgeous and great technique tips too! I have learned that the medium-chain fatty acids in full-fat coconut milk are super-healthful for us, so will likely be making this with full-fat coconut milk when I do!

Ange, using an ice cream maker churns air into the ice cream to give it the right consistency. There is a method for “ice cream in a bag” that I have seen online but never tried. Here’s a link showing you how to do it: http://spoonful.com/recipes/homemade-ice-cream-bag. If you try it, let me know how it works!